Understanding the Universe
by Tellytubby101
Summary: This story could be considered a collection of Ten!Doctor oneshots, but is intended to be inspiriation for authors everywhere. Each chapter will be a detailed description of an imaginary planet for your writing pleasure! Enjoy! Read inside for details.
1. Star of Endless Tears

**_Understanding the Universe._**

**A/N: This is basically a story that just lists and describes various planets I've invented for the benefit of the Doctor Who fandom. Use them as you will in your stories; all I ask for, however, is that you message me somehow and tell me which planet you're planning to use for which story, and acknowledge me in an author's note. **

**To describe the planet, I'll tell it like a story/one shot, and use the tenth Doctor plus various companions. So actually, you could also think this as a compilation of mini-stories, to those who don't want to write. **

**Hopefully, I'll help a lot of you out there by giving you some inspiration!**

**Disclaimer: I own the planets (in a sense) but I don't own Doctor Who at all. If only. **

* * *

**~Star of Endless Tears~  
**_-Dronomea-_

"The rain never ceases, you know," commented the Doctor with an off-hand tone, his eyes staring out through the window, the view hampered by the sheets of gray water pummeling down from the Heavens. His hands were shoved deep in his pockets, his frame unusually still from a serious air that had been surrounding him as soon as he stepped out of the TARDIS.

"Seriously, never?" Martha asked disbelievingly, her eyes squinting as she tried to see past the rain. She was dripping, soaked from the roots of her hair to the toes of her feet; the Doctor had inconveniently parked the TARDIS on the outdoor landing pad—which, although free parking spaces were easy to find, left the inhabitants of the vehicle drenched the second they braved the forces of nature outside.

And the forces of nature where certainly an impressive sight indeed. There was no land what-so-ever on this planet, a sphere entirely covered in gray churning waves of dangerous looking water, the kind of dark water that you could almost see people drowning in. The small room they were staying in was part of an emergency landing pad for ships that need to refuel or restock—though it took a desperate star ship to brave the angry thunderous storm clouds and skill to find and land safely on the few well maintained landing pads.

The TARDIS didn't have to face this trouble, simply materializing on the spot, but Martha wished they had just appeared inside instead of outside in the cold rain. Then again, she mused, she should be happy they landed somewhere moderately safe in the first place. Usually the Doctor's uncanny sense of direction landed them somewhere dangerous almost immediately. So far, there was peace; if you could count raging storms and near total isolation "safe".

Nodding, the Doctor shrugged and said, "Yep. Never ever stops raining. It's been like that for tens of thousands of years. Sometimes it lessens up a bit, but it never stops entirely." Waving his hand vaguely at the glass window, he said, "Believe it or not, but the locals would consider this a very good day in terms of weather." As if to re-enforce his point, a loud clap of thunder shook the very foundations of the concrete hanger they were taking shelter in.

Cocking an eyebrow at the Doctor, who was once again staring out into the night with dark eyes, Martha turned and gazed once more into the rain, where she could just make out faint lines of light; thunder and lightning crashing throughout the stormy skies.

"I haven't seen any locals yet, but I bet they're fitted out with gills and scales and possibly a cold-blooded nature; because I can't see anyone liking this place any other way," complained Martha as a shiver racked up her spine, her arms rubbing up and down her leather jacket in a poor effort to warm her up.

As if he only just noticed her predicament, the Doctor jumped slightly and hurried to remove his long, brown trench coat, draping it lightly over her shoulders, the hem brushing the floor because of her shorter frame.

"Most of the natives living above the water are most definitely humanoid without gills or scales, but you're right in that they're cold blooded," informed the Doctor as he adjusted the jacket to cover Martha in the most efficient way. "Only difference is their snouts. But if you see them, try not to openly stare at them; it's considered rude."

"Thanks for the warning."

Lightly damp, the trench coat still brought with it a degree of warmth, a feeling of security and comfort, possibly just from the familiar smell of the Doctor clinging to the material. Martha smiled up in gratitude, hands holding the front closed, her eyes crinkling at the corners, lips tugging up to show a flash of white teeth.

But when he saw her eyes, sparkling and warm, the darkest shade of brown imaginable; he had to look away. The look was too familiar, too much like the way Rose used to look at him, when they shared the TARDIS together. Suddenly uncomfortable, his eyes darted to the right, back into staring mindlessly into the glass, ignoring how he could only now feel the water seeping through his clothes and into his skin.

To fill the growing silence, the Doctor began to babble nonsensical, unimportant facts about the planet, telling Martha things that he knew to be interesting. "Although listed to be officially called the Dronomea planet, a rather dull name in my opinion, most people—local Dronos especially—refer to it as the _Star of Endless Tears_."

As if scripted on queue, Martha asked, "Why's that?"

Taking a breath through his nose, the Doctor continued, "Well, these people believe devoutly in the existence of a goddess who controls the seas and of a god that controls the air—"

"Sort of like Poseidon and Zeus, right?" interrupted Martha.

"Yeah," agreed the Doctor. "'Cept that the Poseidon was a girl in this story. So anyway, there's a sea goddess and a sky god, who got along fine and dandy. No rain, no storms, just peace. Records show that the planet was once like this, but it was eons back. I'll take you there later if you'd like to see the difference," offered the Doctor.

"Sure," laughed Martha, still enthused about time travel. "But first get on with the story."

"Right. One day, the legends say that the sky god fell in love with the sea goddess, but she refused him because she was in love with the moon god," the Doctor paused sneak in a cheeky wink at Martha, "and that started a war, because the sky god, who couldn't take a dumping with grace, started up terrible storms so that the sea goddess would never be able to see the moon god; which just peeved her off a great deal. Thus the unsteady churning seas. Also, it is said that the ongoing war has sapped this planet of colour, which is why everything is in black and white, and a hundred-thousand shades of gray."

"Huh. So the locals believed that jealously ruined their planet?" queried Martha.

Wide eyed, the Doctor exclaimed, "Oh no! Quite the contrary. The inhabitants of this planet all believe that the sky god and the sea goddess should be together, so they're quite mad towards the moon. Who is totally innocent in my opinion." The Doctor straightened up suddenly from his previous posture of a comfortable slouch, but Martha didn't notice the sudden change, her eyes watching the fierce storm with a new insight.

"These people sound like idiots," snorted Martha with a frown, thinking about how ridiculous it was to hate the moon.

"Are you referring to us?" a new dry voice cut through the silence with a hissing snarl, freezing Martha to the spot, not even letting her turn around to see the person who entered the room so stealthily.

The Doctor looked at Martha pointedly and said loudly, "Uh-oh. You're in trouble now."

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**A/N: There we go; chapter one, planet one. What do you think? Inspired by the rain falling outside my house and partially from **_**Star Wars II**_**. O_O**

**By the way, ****I'll take requests for this story****; if you have an idea for a planet/setting you specifically want to see come to life, just tell me and I'll work something out.**

**Reviews would be awesome, especially if they're to tell me that you're going to use the idea!**


	2. Planet of the Underground Haven

**A/N: This is basically a story that just lists and describes various planets I've invented for the benefit of the Doctor Who fandom. Use them as you will in your stories; all I ask for, however, is that you message me somehow and tell me which planet you're planning to use for which story, and acknowledge me in an author's note. **

**To describe the planet, I'll tell it like a story/one shot, and use the tenth Doctor plus various companions. So actually, you could also think this as a compilation of mini-stories, to those who don't want to write. **

**Hopefully, I'll help a lot of you out there by giving you some inspiration!**

**(Some people may recognise this from my other story, 'Dreaming of Nightmares'. I liked the planet so much, I couldn't help but re-use it).**

**Disclaimer: I own the planets (in a sense) but I don't own Doctor Who at all. If only. **

* * *

**~Planet of the Underground Haven~  
**_-Golongio-_

Another body, after another regeneration, another companion, and another planet; but the Doctor was again in the same situation.

Getting a companion out of trouble.

Except Jack was a special case. The young-ish man didn't fall in harm's way—oh no, he usually hunted down trouble like a Churokin-Mattle Beetle hunts down Suburreen-Winter Snakes. Urgh, trouble followed Jack almost as much as it followed the Doctor. Put them together and...

"Ow, Doc! Be careful where you put those hands," complained Jack with a smile. "I'm sensitive."

"Huh?" the Doctor asked in a muffled voice. "You're flirting with me now?!" His mouth was smothered because it was occupied with his sonic screwdriver, while his hands deftly scrambled to untie his companion. A difficult job, considering that his companion was suspended upside down, bound tightly with chains and rope.

It would have been easier to cut the ropes and chains with his screwdriver, but that would mean turning off the low whistle it had been emitting that kept the guards outside asleep. The Doctor weighed the pain of a gunshot to the gut to a few blistered fingers from untying ropes. He immediately chose the latter.

"Anyway, this is what you get for flirting with the concubines of the Emperor Alikaay," scolded the Doctor as he tugged impatiently at a knot holding Harkness to the ceiling. His lecture came off less severe with the glowing blue stick in his mouth dampening the venom in his voice, "You should know better than that! I've told you so many times that the Golongioa people do _not_ appreciate having their tentacles touched!"

"Aww, it was just a harmless joke!" protested Jack, laughing silently, causing his raised body to wobble dangerously, and nearly hitting the Doctor on the head.

"Oi! Careful there!" chastised the Doctor as he squinted at a rather odd lock on one of the scaly chains. "Joke or not, that doesn't excuse you messing with the _Emperor_!"

"Alilkaay is just a little upset that he proposed to me to be his fifth marriage pairing, and I said no," whined the captain, who was wriggling more and more, effectively making the Doctor's job that much harder.

"Quit it, you impatient prat!" The Doctor scowled; a little dribble was flowing from his clenched mouth since he had no time to remove the screwdriver.

"But come on, Doctor! Loosen up a bit," laughed Jack jovially, even though in all counts, he should have been a little worried about being suspended from the roof. "I've been in stickier situations; remember that time we were stuck on the outer planet in the Yetridonrary constellation? Their prisons are made of glue!"

"Slime and regurgitated bile, actually," corrected the Doctor mildly around the sonic screwdriver, ignoring the disgusted look on his companion's face as his attention was focused on the final intricate knot holding his friend to the oily ceiling.

"Anyway, why can't I flirt with you? It'll pass the time." Raising an eyebrow, the Doctor gave his companion a disbelieving look, before quickly pulling out the knot, which led to the captive falling heavily to the floor, bruising his shoulder on impact.

"Oww," complained the captain half-heartedly as he looked around his prison cell, his vision blurred as he suffered the disorientating feeling of blood gushing back to his head.

Hands finally free, the Doctor removed the sonic screwdriver from his mouth, and let out one short bark of laughter at the reddening face of his idiotic friend. Pulling him by the arm, the Doctor kept the noise from his sonic going with his other hand. While the guards were sleeping like babies, they left the jail, and headed upwards.

They were underground; the entire city was subterranean, in fact, and that was due to the fact that the Golongioan people were so dreadfully fearful of the suns—actually it was more that they were incredibly superstitious of the twin suns burning brightly in the lime green skies. It wouldn't be too bad being under the crust of the planet, but the tunnels were cramped and definitely not made for humans—or Time Lords, for that matter—to trespass through it.

Not only that, but the tunnels and caved out regions all totaled a labyrinth of complex twists and turns, a maze that confounded even the genius Doctor himself. It was only the sonic screwdriver that kept them from getting completely off track; it's light burned a brighter hue of blue when they went in the correct direction, even though they hit a few dead ends because the screwdriver didn't tell them the right path towards the TARDIS, just the right direction.

"It's lucky I didn't park above ground in the blue grass, 'cause the sonic would just keep telling me up," commented the Doctor as they turned a sharp left 'round a corner. Fortunately it was after curfew, so most of the natives had gone to sleep. Or whatever resembled sleep to those that didn't have eyes in the first place.

Clicking his tongue between his teeth, the Doctor pointed his screwdriver left and right before deciding heading straight was the best way to go. For a while they ran around, seemingly lost as there was neither rhyme nor reason to their path. A strange twitch of the neck indicated that the Doctor suddenly heard something the man could not, and his pace increased in speed as he stopped walking, and started jogging lightly.

"Anyway, I'm curious; what took you so long to come get me? Usually it only takes you a few hours, but you left me there for a whole day!" panted the man as he ran alongside the Doctor, exerting more energy than he normally would in an effort to stick beside the eccentric alien.

Shrugging, the Doctor kept his eyes straight ahead as he answered indifferently, "Wanted to teach you a lesson, you dolt."

Before Jack could retort back some witty answer, the purple lights that lined the rough walls of chiseled limestone suddenly turned a fierce shade of magenta. A low siren hummed through the walls, causing both the Doctor and his companion to pause for a moment in their search for the TARDIS.

"Damn," said the man as he paused for breath—the Doctor liked jogging briskly with long strides—looking up at the lights, "It seems they realized I escaped."

Growling under his breath, the Doctor snapped, "This is the last time I'm taking you to a planet with sentient creatures! Everywhere we go, you manage to grope the wrong person or alien and get us into these messes!"

Laughing breathlessly, Harkness mock-punched the Doctor and gasped, "But you love it, old man. Thrill of the chase keeps you young, don't it?"

The Doctor finally grinned, but before they could do anything more, a squad of armed Golongioan marshals surrounded them, their skin dripping in a repulsive gray mash, their teeth a dark pink hue.

All discussion was forgotten as the Doctor and Jack hurriedly tried to think of a way out of this mess.

* * *

**A/N: What'd you think? Like it as a one shot, or do you feel like writing what exactly happens after that? Review/PM and let me know! :-)**

**When Jack mentioned the 'outer planet in the Yetridonrary constellation', it made me think of using that story for another day... Hehe.**

**Also, sorry about the long gap between updates. The more interest I see in this, the more I'll post. Otherwise this is just something I'll do in the passing.**

**Remember: I do take reasonable requests!**


	3. Twin Moons of Areba

**A/N: This is basically a story that just lists and describes various planets I've invented for the benefit of the Doctor Who fandom. Use them as you will in your stories; all I ask for, however, is that you message me somehow and tell me which planet you're planning to use for which story, and acknowledge me in an author's note.**

**To describe the planet, I'll tell it like a story/one shot, and use the tenth Doctor plus various companions. So actually, you could also think this as a compilation of mini-stories, to those who don't want to write.**

**Hopefully, I'll help a lot of you out there by giving you some inspiration!**

**Disclaimer: I own the planets (in a sense) but I don't own Doctor Who at all. If only.**

* * *

**~Twin Moons of Areba~  
**_-Geriminoda mod.3-_

Donna was bent double, her hands bracing herself on her knees as her breath came out in short pants. For some reason, the air was thin and she felt heavier than what was normal. Sure, like every woman, she's had days on Earth where she felt fat. But here, on this strange planet, it was an entirely other experience. There was the terrifying feeling of being pulled down to the ground, some unknown force crushing her, stripping the air around her of precious oxygen...

And the Doctor had the _nerve_ to look wholly comfortable and unaffected!

The skinny twit was jumping and and down without a damn care in the world, and here was Donna sucking up air like a vacuum cleaner, feeling no better with every haggard breath. _Stupid aliens and their stupidly convenient alien metabolism_, she thought grumpily.

Finally the man turned around to look at the poor, tired woman and realized his error. "Oh, Donna, blimey, I'm sorry! Forgot to mention, this planet has a varying concentration of oxygen in the air. Some areas are submerged and thick with it, and other places, like here, must be the thinned out areas."

"You reckon?" snapped Donna angrily, her cheeks pale even if she felt like she should have been flushed with anger.

"Ahh, yes. Would've noticed earlier, but we Time Lords don't gobble up oxygen as much as you humans," shrugged the Doctor before wincing at the glare sent his way.

At least the Time Lord had the decency to look abashed, and hurriedly went to work searching for something in his many inner pockets, his arm nearly disappearing as he reached in for the object. Another lifetime ago, Donna would've had her jaw drop in amazement mixed with horror. Nowadays, this was routine. But still pretty freaky. Time Lord technology made absolutely no sense to her, even if the Doctor once tried to briefly explain the basics of things.

The idiot, as smart as he was, had no capability of dumbing things down for people who weren't as learned as him. Well, it wasn't really his fault. Can't teach old dogs new tricks, and that man was over nine-hundred at least.

An oxygen mask in hand, the connecting tube disappearing into his pocket, assumably to some random tank of life-giving air, the Doctor gently placed it over Donna's paling lips, giving her access to much needed oxygen. For a moment they stood still, giving the woman the chance to regain her strength.

When she felt a tad better, she straightened up and growled, "_Doctor_, I like the sight-seeing and all, but please make sure the planet has enough air for me to survive."

Rolling his eyes, the Doctor said, "Hey, you're not dead! Calm down. Here," the Doctor added as he put something around Donna's neck, securing it with a somehow ominous clicking noise. "It's a Oxonian tentacle necklace. It can pull in oxygen atoms and draw them into the air surrounding your face. So there, no need for the mask anymore." Promptly, he replaced the mask and tucked the tubes haphazardly back into his pockets.

As an afterthought, he warned, "If you're near fire, take it off. Oxygen plus fire equals explosion."

"Doctor, I may not be a genius, but I did pass Chemistry101 in high school," laughed Donna, a hint of worry in her voice. Fingering the smooth, lightweight, metal band circling her neck, Donna mused with a softened tone, "You must have something for everything, don't you?"

"Everything but the recipe to cure the common cold," remarked the Doctor lightly, his eyes trained on the night sky, as if waiting for something to fall down on him. All Donna could see were small pinpricks of light from far off stars, and an overly large moon. The woman knew that the Doctor and herself were on a moon of their own, so it was a bit odd to see another one so close; too close almost, one could say, as it made the planet they were orbiting seem absolutely miniscule in its stead.

"Remind me again why you've taken me here, Doctor," asked Donna. "It's nice-ish and all, but to be honest, it's kind of dull, damp and grimy." Her eyes darted around to take in the bleak surroundings, the area seemingly deserted, a rocky landscape dotted with weird, half-dead looking plants—or at least, Donna _thought_ they were plants.

"If you think that," the Doctor's voice was slightly put out, "then what did you think was nice?"

"Oh, the chicken soup we had for tea earlier," answered Donna with a shrug. The town they dined in was a while back, more like an uncivilized village to Donna, and though the natives were creepy slug-like creatures, they made good soup.

"Sorry, again," apologised the Doctor as he wisely began to back up, "but there isn't any bird life in this part of space, especially not in this constellation of stars."

"So if that wasn't chicken," Donna spoke, eyes widening, stepping forward as anger entered her tone, "what exactly was it?"

"You don't want to know," said the Doctor honestly. "Seriously, you don't."

As Donna prepared to let out a holler of a scream out to them scrawny man in front of her, the Doctor quickly interrupted with a stream of mindless information, "The reason why I took you here, to this _lovely_ blue moon; the third moon, in fact, of the technological haven of planets, Areba; this smallest of moons was christened Geriminoda mod.3 for the special occurrence that happens here every ten years."

Donna paused in the build up of her tirade, blinking in surprise, and the Doctor was pleased to see she was becoming more intrigued than angry. "So, what happens here every decade?"

With a cheeky grin, the Doctor said, "Geriminoda mod.3 kisses its twin, Constelline mod.2."

"You've lost me." Her blank stare re-enforced her words and the Doctor sighed.

"Every ten years," explained the Doctor patiently, "the moons come into each other's orbit, and the atmosphere touches, causing—wait, I won't spoil it. If I'm correct about the time, which I always am—" the statement causing Donna to snort disbelievingly, "—then the natural phenomenon will happen very soon indeed."

With those words barely leaving his lips, the sky above them exploded into a mishmash of colours, from all ends of the spectrum, igniting the air with rainbows and shimmering light. Donna gasped as the Doctor let out a bubble of laughter, the sound of mirth somehow echoing and resonating with the air around them.

"What is this?" exclaimed Donna in an embarrassingly girlish tone of voice, but too happy and awed to really care.

"This is the kissing of the twin moons of Areba," informed the Doctor as he cocked his head to the side, suddenly putting a finger to his lips. "Shh, listen now."

"Wha—" Donna cut her question off when she heard the singing. It was a beautiful intricate melody, speaking of nature; of air, water, fire and earth all entangled in some adoring connection. The song was difficult to explain, so twisted and developed that most musicians would have trouble telling notes apart. Yet underneath all that was a simple thrumming beat, more of a continuous harmonious hum than anything else. It was as if Mother Nature had stood up and started to speak.

"And that," said the Doctor quietly, his voice breaking the enchantment of the music, "is called the 'Serenade of Moonlight'."

"Amazing," gasped Donna, feeling lightheaded and dazed. The air warbled and fluctuated constantly, and with the colours moving up and down, throbbing like some live, tangible object, she almost believed she could see sound itself. Warm air rose from somewhere, lifting her long hair until it floated comfortably just above shoulder height.

"Strange thing," commented the Doctor, ignoring how his long, brown overcoat flapped in the warm air, "is that no one has ever been able to record the song. It breaks every instrument that could recall it, even some minds. There are stories where people have gone insane from the beauty of it all..."

That snapped Donna out of her daze. "Knew it. You can't ever take me somewhere nice _and_ safe, now can you?" She bit down a curse and sighed. "Let me guess. Rumors are, there is some giant, evil monster we got to get rid of."

Looking down at his feet with the expression of a boy getting caught with his hand in the cookie jar, the Doctor scuffled his Converse in the dusty gravel before admitting, "Maybe." Anything else he was going to say was cut off by the screams coming from the direction of the town.

Sparing a moment to share one brief look of mutual understanding, the pair took off, not noticing how the colours in the air were changing from intensely vibrant primary colours to more dull gray colours, not picking up on how the tune in the air was becoming more chilling, more terrifying.

They certainly didn't notice the blood red eyes following their every movement as they rushed to the aid of the screaming natives who'd served them soup only an hour before.

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**A/N: Love Donna. She is win. I wished she didn't lose her memories like that in S4 finale. Grr. **

**Please recall that each and every one of these are one shot independent of another. They won't be continued unless someone wants to pick up the story somewhere else. If that's the case, review or PM me. Oh, and I'll mention your name here so people know you're picking things off, or using the planet as a setting.**

**And additional questions about story or plot or whatever, I can answer. Unless you're anonymous (ie: not logged in).**

**Review if you liked/hated/wanted-to-use it. ^-^**


	4. Planet of the Lamenting Sinners

**A/N: This is basically a story that just lists and describes various planets I've invented for the benefit of the Doctor Who fandom. Use them as you will in your stories; all I ask for, however, is that you message me somehow and tell me which planet you're planning to use for which story, and acknowledge me in an author's note. **

**To describe the planet, I'll tell it like a story/one shot, and use the tenth Doctor plus various companions. So actually, you could also think this as a compilation of mini-stories, to those who don't want to write. **

**Hopefully, I'll help a lot of you out there by giving you some inspiration!**

**(Some people may recognise this from my other story, 'Dreaming of Nightmares'. I liked the planet so much, I couldn't help but re-use it).**

**Disclaimer: I own the planets (in a sense) but I don't own Doctor Who at all. If only. **

* * *

**~Planet of the Lamenting Sinners~  
**_-Artinalohoi-_

"Okay, we're lost, aren't we?" sighed the dark skinned girl as she tugged her jacket more snugly around her to desperately keep out the icy rain that was beginning to pelt down. The sky was always gray on this planet, the Doctor told her, so it always felt like it was going to rain. However, looking up, she saw that the sky was changing to a strange darker aqua-green colour—_or was that the colour of the clouds?_. Martha also noticed the Doctor never answered her question.

The Doctor was busy rummaging in one of his many endless pockets, pulling out a variety of objects before finally getting out a battered pink flowery umbrella, deftly opening it above their heads to protect them from the elements.

It was still amazing to see how much junk he could carry around with him. Martha supposed it was just one of the many perks of Time Lord technology; everything could be made bigger on the inside than what the outside dimensions could normally hold. Actually, she made a mental note to ask the Doctor to fiddle around with her handbag...

"That's better, now isn't it?" he smiled Martha, a clumsy grin that was slightly crooked because he was yet to get used to his new teeth. A bad side effect of regeneration; no matter how long he had this set of teeth, he couldn't seem to really get comfortable in them, always feeling awkward in his mouth.

The girl nodded, causing some droplets of water to fall from her head and down to the ground. She watched in awe and fascination as the droplets fell slowly—the planet's gravity being lower than Earth's—and looked as they passed the cloudy ground to seemingly keep falling and falling forever, that is, until it was swallowed up by the dark fog swirling beneath the almost transparent ground. The Doctor, noticing the object of her fascination, paused in his stride to explain the phenomenon.

"Artinalohoi—or the 'Planet of the Lamenting Sinners' when translated properly—is a strange gas planet. Due to some random abnormality in the gravitation levels and ratios, the dirt or earth of this planet is a tightly crushed ball in the very middle of the planet, like the core of Earth," rattled off the Doctor without even pausing for breath. "What we're walking on is like... frozen evaporation, high up from the core, making the planet look bigger than it actually is, and kept in place by the strange gravitational pull. The sun is too far away to melt it, but the moon's light is enough to keep the moss that the natives use for medicine alive."

"Why does the rain pass through the ground so easily, when we stand firmly over it?" Martha asked, her natural inquisitiveness and logic shining through.

"Well," smiled the Doctor as he continued explaining, "the rain isn't really made entirely of water. Roughly 47% of the composition is made from Jaerolytine. It's a rare chemical found only here, pretty much harmless to us, but it is a minor acid to this planet, melting the ground. But the regeneration rate of the ground is astonishing, the planet freezing and fixing itself up before you could even notice the hole."

"Hmm," Martha mumbled, understanding now how the illusion worked. But something was bugging her. "What's the point of having rain that melts the ground? Isn't a ecosystem meant to help each part of the world out?"

"Ahh," said the Doctor knowingly, starting to walk off in some vague direction once more, "the chemical feeds the fungi that grows here. Without that, all the plants that the Alohoi eat would die. The only time to fear is when a really heavy rainfall occurs. This current one is no more than a light shower, so we have nothing to fear."

"Yeah, what's to fear from having the ground crumble from beneath our feet with a little rain?" replied the girl sarcastically.

Shaking his head, the Doctor lifted a soaked arm to point west, highlighting a faint silhouette of what could only be a town. "The Alohoi only build their towns over the densest, strongest patches of land, so it can't be too bad here. We'll be heading there to spend the night before we can find out more on what's been changing the royal Alohoi into murderous beetles with every full moon."

"Oh joy," added the female doctor-in-training sardonically, but she couldn't deny to herself the leap that her heart made at the idea of the thrill, the excitement, the danger she was about to face.

They eventually made it to the town, their clothes dripping wet even with the aid of the umbrella. When they stepped into a local motel, the rain outside started to get heavier, and the woman couldn't help but feel extra apprehensive of their surroundings.

Yet Martha just knew that with the Doctor by her side, everything would be all right.

The Doctor refused the offer of new clothes, claiming his clothes would dry out soon enough, and something about how a little cold wouldn't do anything to his metabolism. However, the girl gratefully took the soft dress offered to her, made of a green material, a beaten and stretched fabric.

Stepping out of the bathroom into her bedroom, Martha scowled down at the outfit. It was comfortable, but it was not designed for humans; however, the woman knew from observing other aliens that it was meant to be tight fitting and flattering to the Alohoi. On her humanoid frame, it was loose and baggy, bunched up in the wrong areas and frayed in others. But it wasn't the motel's fault that they didn't stock up on human clothing; guests from her species were rare in this period of time, the Doctor had informed her.

With a final glance over her clothes, Martha shrugged and decided that beggars couldn't be choosers. In the end, she was glad to get out of her sopping wet outfit and wear something dry. The air was growing more chilling with every moment; for a second she feared that the Doctor could really get sick.

Lightly walking into the communal area of the motel where she knew the Doctor was waiting, the woman made a mental note to acquire some kind of footwear. It wasn't long before Martha saw him standing in front of what looked like a huge floating orb that consisted of an ever-churning black liquid.

Stepping up next to him, she was surprised to feel the air warm up around her, but the girl quickly realized that the orb must be like a fireplace equivalent to these aliens: something that warms and illuminates a room. Captivated by the strange movements of the orb, the swirling colour of black reminding her of slick unrefined oil, she didn't notice at first when the Doctor was staring at her.

"What?" she asked immediately, her tone automatically defensive, cheeks colouring slightly, though it was indiscernible with her darker pallor.

Smirking slightly, the Doctor whispered in her ear, "You're wearing it backwards."

"Huh?" Martha was lost to what he was talking about.

Shaking his head, the Doctor easily spun the outfit around and redid a few of the ties before stepping back and admiring his work. All of this was done so fast, and with so little effort on Martha's part that she was dazed momentarily, confused to what just happened. Glancing down, she nearly gasped as the dress actually looked like a dress now. A blush rose to her cheeks as her mistake became clear.

"Yeah, I'm going off to bed now, you know, to hide my mortification of not being able to dress properly by myself," choked out the woman, her voice squeaky with embarrassment.

"Okay then," replied the Doctor with a laugh in his voice. "Sweet dreams and don't let the bed bugs bite. Seriously, this planet is famous for having—"

"Doctor," interrupted Martha hurriedly, "I'd rather not know. _Ignorance is bliss_, and all that junk, you know."

Shrugging, the Doctor continued nonetheless, "Seriously, watch out for those bed bugs. Your dress is made from the same fungi and moss that the Alohoi and nearly every other creature on this planet eat!"

"Great. I feel _so_ much better knowing that," snapped Martha, her senses on overdrive as she became unbelievably paranoid within the space of a few words. _Only the Doctor could do that_, she thought with an amused frown.

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**A/N: Haha. Poor Martha. This was originally a bit more serious, but I ended it on a lighter note for the hell of it. **

**I am especially proud of this particular planet and all the detail I worked into it. I sincerely wish that someone uses it. **

**You know the drill. Read and review. We authors aren't paid, but we use reviews to feed the fires of inspiration! **

**Remember: I take requests!**


	5. Celestial Body of Conflict

**A/N: This is basically a story that just lists and describes various planets I've invented for the benefit of the Doctor Who fandom. Use them as you will in your stories; all I ask for, however, is that you message me somehow and tell me which planet you're planning to use for which story, and acknowledge me in an author's note. **

**To describe the planet, I'll tell it like a story/one shot, and use the tenth Doctor plus various companions. So actually, you could also think this as a compilation of mini-stories, to those who don't want to write. **

**Hopefully, I'll help a lot of you out there by giving you some inspiration!**

**Disclaimer: I own the planets (in a sense) but I don't own Doctor Who at all. If only. (I also don't own **_**Fire And Ice**_** by Robert Frost).**

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**~Celestial Body of Conflict~  
**_-Synchronblaze-_

"Bollocks."

"Watch your language, young lady."

"Then watch your tongue, you old man!"

"I resent that," sniffed the Doctor as he leapt around the console of the TARDIS. "I'm not even a thousand human years old yet—I'm practically in the prime of my life in Time Lord years."

Rose stared at him with crossed arms, a disbelieving eyebrow raised at the not-quite-human male scurrying around frantically. He paused as he felt eyes roll behind his back. The Doctor popped his head around to frown at the blonde woman before moving around once more.

"Sorry, Doc. I'm pretty tolerant and believing these days, but come on. There can't possible be a planet made of fire _and_ ice. That's the stuff of fairytales!"

"Just wait and see this then," the Doctor said smugly as he slammed down a lever with excessive force, presumably being the one that halted the rumbling motions of the TARDIS. Rose recognized the not-so-small thump of the vessel as an indication that they had finally landed. "We've landed at the Celestial Body of Conflict!"

Rose barely had a moment to blink before the Doctor was pulling on his long, brown overcoat, his hand eagerly gesturing for her to join him at the door. He politely paused in his childish excitement to open the door open for her.

As she turned to thank him, the words stopped in the middle of her throat. And for good reason. Her eyes were captivated by one of the most beautiful and terrifying things she could ever have imagined.

The ground before her was like a winter wonderland, all snow and ice, pristine white that seemed to stretch for miles. So pure and clean that it burned her retinas. In contrast, the sky was blood red, the sun far too close to the planet, but somehow not affecting the fluffy snow below. It looked as if Hell was coming in contact with Heaven itself. There were dark clouds of dust and rock hovering above like sick imitations of clouds, smoke billowing wildly while delicate snow flakes swirled around Rose as she stepped out of the blue police box.

Though the majority her attention was captured by the sight before her, she still heard the Doctor's crunching footsteps in the thick snow as he walked behind her. She jumped slightly as the warmth of a jacket covered her shoulders, the Doctor slipping it on her to protect her from the chilly air that had slipped her notice. His cheerful voice was explaining things from behind her.

"It's not a natural occurrence. The locals of the neighboring star system had the technology and the inclination to create such a place. Tweaking the gravitational pull and the protective skin of the atmosphere, and ta-da! Their favourite food grows in ice, but needs constant sunlight. This is their compromise to farm it. It's quite a money maker."

"I don't see any food or plants, but it's so incredible anyway." The young woman watched her breath puff out in front of her with interest, the swirls of white quickly fading.

"The Kaido—that's who founded the planet's renovation—are slightly telepathic, you know. They're also a distasteful bright orange colour, but that's beside the point. Poor things have to follow the dress code the Emperor sets. Democracy won't come for them until the Great Assassination Fallout in about a century." The Time Lord ran a hand through his unruly mane of brown spikes, apparently not hearing how he was rambling on.

"Umm... okay?" Rose turned around slightly so the Doctor could see that she didn't actually get what he was going on about.

"Yep, sorry, got off track. Anyway, they sent out images of their plans for the universe to see, and Earth was hit with some of the aftershocks. Throughout history, certain people with the correct mind waves heard their message."

"Are you implying...?"

"Yeah, I am. The Bible talks of an afterlife of fire or ice. Early Christians had the visions mistakenly implanted. Have you heard of Dante? Famous writer? His acclaimed piece _Inferno_ practically screams with the influence of the Synchronblaze planet. '_A lake so bound with ice, it did not took like water, but like a glass ... right clear I saw, where sinners are preserved in ice_'," quoted the Doctor merrily. "If we take a stroll, we'll see that lake soon. It's dubbed by the tourists as Mirror Lake. But locals like to call it the Devil's Reflection."

"Doesn't that simply sound cheery?" Rose laughed, but she couldn't help feel slightly apprehensive.

"Oh!" The Doctor clicked his fingers together excitedly. "Robert Frost! Lovely bloke, met him in the early nineteen-twenties. Had the _worst_ visions, but he hid them nicely. '_Fire and Ice_' was another example of humans being much too easily swayed by aliens." The Doctor paused to wink cheekily at Rose, who simply rolled her eyes with lips quirked in amusement.

"I know that poem. In grade school, I had to recite it. Actually, I still know it:

'_Some say the world will end in fire,  
Some say in ice.  
From what I've tasted of desire  
I hold with those who favor fire.  
But if it had to perish twice,  
I think I know enough of hate  
To know that for destruction ice  
Is also great  
And would suffice._'

Blimey, it's depressing."

"That it is—" Whatever the Doctor planned on saying next was cut short as the ground appeared to disappear from beneath his feet. Rose watched helplessly before she was jolted down too, her feet unable to find purchase on the suddenly wet, slick ground.

Down and down they tumbled, like some unwanted slide formed with them as the first passengers. All too quickly the ride ended in a slosh of icy water, Rose choking as she struggled to stay afloat.

Rose looked up and saw fire, but all she could feel were shards of ice piercing her body, the cold water stabbing at her like tiny knives. The water around her was crimson, whether a reflection of the sky or dyed with her blood, it was impossible for her to tell. She was in pain, disorientated, and so cold.

_So very cold..._

Strong arms caught her around her middle and she felt herself being dragged out, her head occasionally diving under the water as her savior struggled with the lumps of ice barring their way. She faintly heard the Doctor calling her name, telling her that everything was going to be okay...

Upon awakening, Rose saw she was swaddled in blankets, close to a blazing fire. She was in a cave, a small one judging by the strange way the fire flickered and the light reflected from the walls. Across from her, she caught a glimpse of the Doctor, his face serious and almost contorted in a painful expression of worry and concern before it was wiped clear by the most relieved smile she'd ever seen on him.

He saw that she was awake and couldn't help but feel the crushing pressure on his hearts lift.

"Doctor," she tried to talk, but her voice was a weak croak.

"Shh," murmured the Doctor as he took her temperature, and checked her pupils using his sonic screwdriver as a penlight. "You swallowed a lot of water and passed out from the cold. I recommend you stay quiet for a bit."

Rose nodded, but her eyes were asking the question her voice could not.

The Doctor sighed heavily, sitting back with his arms propping him up. "I don't know what happened. There isn't meant to be water on this planet. It's meant to be at constant freezing temperature. At first, I thought it was simply a minor, temporary malfunction of the circuits, but then—" He motioned weakly at the fire.

"There's wood here," he continued with a confused, frustrated tone. "There only plant life that could possibly grow here is a spiny vine plum. And I can't find that anywhere. All I can see are oak trees. Which makes no sense; they cannot survive these conditions."

"Why not ask someone about it?" It killed Rose to talk, but she felt the need to help overpower the reluctance to irritate her throat.

She swallowed dryly as she met the Doctor's dark, worried eyes. "That's the other thing," he muttered darkly, the joking attitude from before replaced by harsh seriousness. "The entire planet, including the headquarters that's meant to be manned 24/7; it's totally deserted. We're alone. And I can't find the TARDIS."

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**A/N: Ahh, I almost wanted to continue, but I think it would be better to stop here. THE SUSPENSE! Hehe, bet you want it to continue... but alas, you'd have to pick it up to read more.**

**Finally, I got something with Rose posted. I'd been planning this particular piece for a while, and I'm glad I finally finished it. It's shorter than my other pieces, but that can't be helped.**

**Remember, I take requests. Thanks for reading. If you've got a moment, drop me a review. :-)**

**Notice: ****FranGipani6181**** is using a planet [Twin Moons of Areba] for her story, 'The Parched Planet'.**


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